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Tennessee’s penalties for HIV-positive people are discriminatory, Justice Department says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:15 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s decades-old aggravated prostitution statute violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday after an investigation, warning that the state could face a lawsuit if officials don’t immediately cease enforcement. Tennessee is the only state in the United States that imposes a lifetime registration as a “violent sex offender” if convicted of engaging in sex work while living with HIV, regardless of whether the person knew they could transmit the disease.LGBTQ+ and civil rights advocates have long criticized the measure as discriminatory, making it almost impossible to find housing and employment due to the restrictions for violent sex offenders. Earlier this year, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Transgender Law Center filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the law in federal court. The department’s findings on Friday are separate from the ongoing lawsuit. The department is calling...

Christmas tree retailers say supply dwindling as demand increases

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:15 GMT

If you haven’t gotten your Christmas tree yet for this holiday season, you could be out of luck soon.Some Christmas tree vendors say the demand is outpacing supply, and it could be a bit more challenging to get your hands on one.In Leslieville, the East End Garden Centre is preparing for the Christmas rush and says customers are visiting from all over the GTA.“The demand is very high; people are coming all over to buy trees, not just in our area,” said Judy Clark with the garden centre.“They’re afraid of not getting trees. People are getting them and putting them in their backyards and holding them. Last year, we ran out on Dec. 10.”Judy said they have already sold over half of their supply of 2,000 trees. “It tells you people are smartening up; they know there’s going to be a shortage.”Executive Director for the Canadian Christmas Trees Association, Shirley Brennan, tells CityNews there are fewer Christmas trees now, compared to in the...

Philadelphia votes to ban ski masks to decrease crime. Opponents worry it’ll unfairly target some

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:15 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia City Council passed legislation to ban ski masks in some public spaces, a measure supporters say will increase public safety amid high violent crime, but opponents argue it will unfairly target people without proof of any wrongdoing.The legislation passed on Thursday with a 13-2 vote, and now goes to Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney. A spokesperson said he would review the legislation and “looks forward to our ongoing work with City Council on the urgent matter of ensuring public safety.”The measure would ban ski masks, or balaclavas, in public spaces like schools, recreation centers, parks, city-owned buildings and on public transportation. It defines the garment as a close-fitting covering over the whole head, with holes only for the eyes, nose, or mouth.A $250 fine would be imposed against anyone who violates the law. It has exceptions for religious garb and protests.The legislation comes as the nation’s sixth-largest city has been beleaguered by...

Iowa court affirms hate crime conviction of man who left anti-gay notes at homes with rainbow flags

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:15 GMT

The Iowa Supreme Court affirmed the hate crime conviction Friday of a man who posted hand-written notes at homes with rainbow flags and emblems, urging them to “burn that gay flag.”The majority rejected the claim by Robert Clark Geddes that his conviction for trespassing as a hate crime violated his free speech rights. But a dissenting justice said a hate crime conviction wasn’t appropriate since it wasn’t clear if the people displaying the symbols were actually associated with the LGBTQ+ community.As the court noted, the rainbow flag has come to symbolize support for LGBTQ+ rights. The majority said the state statute in question does not criminalize speech, but rather conduct with a specific intent — trespassing because the property owners or residents had associated themselves with a protected class.“The individuals’ display of the LGBTQ+ flag or flag decal on their own properties was an exercise of First Amendment rights; the defendant’s surreptitious entry onto those properties ...

Flu season has officially started in Canada, public health agency says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:15 GMT

The Public Health Agency of Canada says flu season is officially underway in this country. The rate of tests that were positive for flu stayed above the agency’s threshold of five per cent for two consecutive weeks.  As of Nov. 25, 7.5 per cent of people tested for influenza across Canada were positive. Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital infectious disease specialist Dr. Allison McGeer says the number of cases is climbing and there will be a lot of flu circulating in a few weeks.  McGeer says that means now is a good time to get the flu shot, since it takes about two weeks to prime people’s immune systems.   She says the dominant strain now will be influenza A type H1N1, which is a good match for the current vaccine.  Not all provinces and territories are reporting a five per cent positivity rate yet. For example, Public Health Ontario’s latest flu surveillance report said the rate was 2.8 per cent as of Nov. 25 in that province.&nbs...

Another top official leaves a super PAC backing Ron DeSantis’ campaign

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:15 GMT

The chairman of the most powerful independent group supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential ambitions has resigned, marking the second major departure at the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC in the last two weeks.Never Back Down Chairman Adam Laxalt, the former Nevada attorney general and a close DeSantis confidant, submitted his resignation on Sunday, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Associated Press on Friday. The New York Times first reported Laxalt’s decision. “Effective immediately, I am resigning from the Board of Directors of Never Back Down. After nearly 26 straight months of being in a full scale campaign, I need to return my time and attention to my family and law practice,” Laxalt wrote to the super PAC board. “I will continue to support Governor DeSantis in whatever ways I can, and I hope and pray that his campaign will be successful.”Last week, the super PAC’s chief executive, Chris Jankowski, also resigned. The moves ...

Republicans say new Georgia voting districts comply with court ruling, but Democrats disagree

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:15 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s Republican lawmakers have approved new voting districts for themselves, but Democrats say the proposals are still racially discriminatory against Black voters.Friday, the state House voted 101-77 to approve a new House map and the Senate voted 32-23 to approve a new Senate map.The House map now goes to the Senate for more work, while the Senate map goes to the House. Typically, each chamber has taken a hands-off approach to the map that the other chamber has drawn for itself.Lawmakers were called into special session after U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled in October that Georgia’s congressional, state Senate and state House violated federal law by diluting Black voting power. Jones mandated Black majorities in one additional congressional district, two additional state Senate districts and five additional state House districts.Republicans haven’t yet unveiled their congressional plan. They said in debate Friday that their legislative plans will me...

Walmart latest big advertiser to pull out of Musk's X amid widening concerns over hate speech, reach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:15 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Walmart is the latest company to join the growing flock of major advertisers to pull spending from X, Elon Musk’s beleaguered social media company, amid concerns about hate speech — as well as reaching a sizeable audience on the platform. “We aren’t advertising on X as we’ve found some other platforms better reach our customers,” Walmart said in a statement. The announcement comes two days after Musk went on an expletive-ridden rant in an on-stage interview with journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin about companies halting spending on X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to antisemitic and other hateful material. Musk said advertisers pulling out are engaging in “blackmail” and, using a profanity, essentially told them to go away.SEE ALSO: IBM, EU and Lionsgate pull ads from Elon Musk’s X as concerns about antisemitism fuel backlash“Don’t advertise,” Musk said.Walmart is joining the Walt Disney Co., IBM, NBCUniversal and its parent company Comcast and other compani...

Lawmakers push to make December 1st a national holiday named after Rosa Parks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - A group of lawmakers wants to designate December 1st as a federal holiday in honor of Rosa Parks. The effort to create "Rosa Parks Day" is being spearheaded by Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) and the Congressional Black Caucus. "By simply refusing to give up her seat Rosa Parks stood up for the values that this nation holds dear," Sewell said. She says a federal holiday would commemorate Parks's important activism and send a strong message to future generations. "To acknowledge her with her own federal holiday is just one way we can pay honor and tribute and we can say to the nation: Never forget," Sewell said. If passed, it would become the 12th annual federal holiday. Though Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (D-OH) notes this one would be particularly historic. "Rosa Parks would be the very first woman, and yes a Black woman, to be honored with a federal holiday," Beatty said.  How to watch the fourth Republican pres...

Santos expelled from Congress in historic vote

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Friday was U.S. Rep. George Santos’ last day. The New York Republican lawmaker faced an expulsion vote in the morning.It was quiet on the House floor, before House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) broke the silence."Two-thirds voting in the affirmative, the resolution is adopted," Johnson said.And with that, George Santos was removed from Congress, making him the sixth member ever expelled."It's historic, right? We've only ever expelled five or six members in the House's history and it's not something to be taken lightly. It's something I contemplated heavily throughout the last few months," U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) said.Before the vote began, the outcome was anything but certain.Santos left before the decision was announced and didn't have much to say, but Republicans and Democrats say last month's ethics report made it clear it was time for him to go."George Santos fell far short of the standards we wish to uphold and is no longer a member of Congress," U.S. ...